Tag Archive for greetings

What is the message that you want to convey to your customers? When you have many different people answering phone calls for your business, then are you sure that they are all treating your callers in the same, friendly, courteous, and professional manner? If not, then it’s time for you to consider having an auto attendant.

What is an Auto Attendant?

Imagine having a single person designated to answer all of the incoming calls for your business, and then directing those calls to the appropriate extensions and people. That’s what an auto attendant does, except that you won’t have to pay an entire year’s salary and benefits for that person. The auto attendant is a part of the virtual phone system that you receive through iTeleCenter.

For today’s businesses, the message that you convey to your customers, as well as your partners and potential customers, is vital. When someone calls your business for the first time, the first impression that they receive will be from that initial answer. While you may want to forego the normal expectations of an automated attendant because you believe that the warmth of a live person is invaluable, the auto attendant serves a far more important purpose than you may realize.

Yes, having an actual live person answer calls can be wonderful; it puts a personal touch to your business. But think about the usual scenarios of our modern world for a moment. The phone rings first thing in the morning. Your cheerful attendant greets the caller and obtains information about why they’re calling, and dispatches the call to the appropriate employee. Everyone is happy. A minute later, the phone rings again. While this person is fielding the call, another call comes in, then another. It is, after all, the early morning rush. Now your attendant has to place people on hold.

Now, would you rather have your callers placed on hold while a live attendant gets back to them just to direct their call? Or would you rather have an auto attendant field every single call the same way, in the same time frame, and with the same precise results? No more waiting on hold just to be connected to the right person. Your callers will experience efficiency when they call; they will feel important to your business and not just another person who can be placed on hold.

In a perfect world, every business would have enough people to answer all calls personally. We don’t live in a perfect world; we live in a world where customers want results. With the auto attendant feature, you can bridge the gap and enjoy higher customer satisfaction with every call.

For any business that handles a number of phone calls from their customers every day, the time they spend waiting on hold is a golden opportunity to offer them some great and valuable information. Just think about the times that you have spent waiting to speak to a customer service representative or technician and had to endure the endless drone of elevator music. Occasionally, you might have encountered a business that let you know how many more calls were ahead of you in the queue, but it strikes an amazing chord to know that few companies and businesses truly take full advantage of the hold time.

You likely have a marketing budget, doing everything you can to reach the right customers and let them know about the products and services that you offer. When you receive a call from a customer or a potential one, the time that they spend on hold is a golden opportunity to inform them of special deals that you have, or even the goal of your company to bring them the best service possible.

The more that a customer or prospective one knows about your business, the more emotionally connected he or she will be to your business. When that happens, you increase the likelihood that they will become dedicated, long-term customers and that is the cornerstone of an intelligent business plan.

Your Callers On Hold Are a Captive Audience

When someone has called your business and they are waiting to speak to a representative, if they are willing to wait on hold, then they are going to listen to whatever you play for them, whether it is the notorious elevator music or an advertisement. With iTeleCenter’s on-hold greetings, you can maximize their time as well as yours by sharing the most pertinent information with your callers. Every time.

With this format, you can create your own on-hold commercial, writing your own script that will target your customer base most effectively, or use iTeleCenter’s Voice Studio to have it recorded by a professional voice talent.

It’s All About the Message with On-Hold Commercials

When a person is waiting on hold, their attention will initially be directed strictly to the phone call. They don’t know how long they are going to have to wait and with the age of automated call centers, they have become accustomed to having to press different numbers before waiting on hold, so they are keenly aware of what is being directed to them.

As a result, these customers will be focused on whatever is presented to them when they are placed on hold, at least until such time as they conclude that they don’t need to listen any longer.

With the right message for your on-hold commercial with iTeleCenter, your business can present important information that can help to sell your potential customer on new products or inspire them to inquire more about a particular service that you provide. When it comes to on-hold recordings, the message can be golden.